How does November slip in there so quickly? November has always been one of my favorite months of the year. I love the leaves beneath my feet and that sweet fragrance that emanates from them into the air with each step I take. I love Thanksgiving and the family gathering. Ahh… the family gathering, so special, and even more so as my birthday, or one of my two sisters birthdays inevitably seems to fall on Thanksgiving. Three of the six of us have birthdays the same week!

It has been ingrained in me that November is family time, and the time to transition, slow down, cozy in… fourteen years ago I had my first open studio/holiday sale… since then November has never been the same.

Don’t get me wrong I still love everything I mentioned above, now I’m just conflicted… 10-12 hour workdays just don’t equate with long walks, family time and cozying in… I still try… kinda like some people have their power naps, I have my power cozy.

It’s that bittersweet end of summer in New England. The nights are getting cooler, the kids begin school tomorrow, and my fall pottery classes begin next week. I am trying to get back into full work mode after vacation at the beach last week. I’m having a hard time of it though, since I had a little mishap at the beach while playing football with my two teenage sons. Seems the younger of the two, Andrew, doesn’t know his own strength… quite innocently he rammed into my chest… the result for me is one cracked rib. My lesson… never play football with teenage boys.

So I’m letting this week go, with hopes that I will be able to throw pots next week… little pots. This week I’m slowly finishing my bats for the studio. All the new ones were made before vacation, with repairs to the old ones. These past two days I set them all out in the yard for polyurethane. I am so happy I accomplished something that really needed to get done. I’m hoping tomorrow to be able to start photographing new work for Etsy… another not so physical task that desperately needs to be done!

Summer just moves at a different pace, everything seems to be slowing down around me… except me, this summer. Oh how I wish I were a kid off for the summer, or like my studio dogs lazing around waiting for rabbits.

Here are the two cuties guarding my studio entrance on a sunny summer day.

It was our 6th year for the Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail, and definitely the best. Each year we have more and more visitors and sales. This year feels like it just exploded. My studio on Saturday was elbow to elbow for a couple of hours. And steady sales through out the weekend. Sunday as usual had less traffic, it was a great day for customers to see demos by my apprentice Pam and an advanced student, Gayle.

People came from Boston, N.Y, Phillly, Albany, Vt., Maine, N.J. N.H. and Conn. Some stayed at local B&Bs or just took day trips. I definitely think our tour boosts the local economy!

I worked on dismantling some of the displays today, but the studio is still not in order for Tuesday night classes. I’m wiped out, but just wanted to share a little bit.